Drown Compare And Contrast Ysrael And Yunior

Morgan Belforti

Prof. Ainsworth

Literature

23 April, 2016

Drown Compare and Contrast

“The absence of the father figure and the perpetual reality of abandonment which accompanies this absence oblige the generation of fatherless boys to construct their own vision of masculinity based, not only on the island’s remaining men, but also the hollow remains of what the fathers have left behind” (Riofrio, 26). In “Auguantando” and “No Face”, Ysrael and Yunior, both construct imaginary masculine versions of themselves in order to adapt to the challenges that come with living in the “Fatherless Generation; however, while Yunior struggles to ever find his true sense of self throughout his life, Ysrael is forced to adapt to his lonesome childhood brought

on by his face deformity that ultimately places him on the path towards a successful future.
Forced to cope with the absence of their fathers, and the hardships that plagued their lives as a result, Ysrael and Yunior both construct imaginary, masculine versions of themselves.

Ysraels childhood is not only characterized by an “absent, uncaring, and abusive father… who rejects [his] son” (Kevane, 3), but also by the loneliness and solitude that is brought on by his face deformity. Bullied and tormented by most he comes in contact with, Ysrael is forced to wear a mask and conjure up a superhero version in which FLIGHT, INVISIBILITY, and STRENGTH make him untouchable by life’s harsh realities. His imaginary, comic book self gives Ysrael senses of masculinity that his face deformity constantly threatens, and allows him to courageously deflect the daily attacks he counters. For instance, as Ysrael is attacked by boys with the intentions of unmasking him, they scream, “We’re going to make you a girl” (Diaz, 156). However, Ysrael successfully escapes the attempt “to feminize him” (Riofrio, 31) using his superhero alter ego’s strength. The mindset in which Ysrael believes he is faster and stronger than his attackers, although conjured up in his head, is what allows him to be fearless in standing up for himself and ultimately prevents his “weakness, disfigurement, and non-conformity” (Riofrio, 31) from being exploited. It is through his fictional persona that Ysrael is able to protect his masculinity, and preserve through his lonely and difficult

childhood.
Similarly, Yunior invents an imaginary, masculine, alter ego for himself in order to escape harsh realities brought on by his fatherless life. Gone to pursue work in the Unities States, Yunior and Rafa’s father leaves the family to live in extreme poverty. Their mother, while attempting to provide for Yunior and his brother, “puts in ten-, twelve-hour shifts for almost no money at all” (Diaz, PAGE) at a local chocolate factory, however the boys are forced to live with close to nothing. The absence of a father figure, main provider, and macho role model, prompts Yunior to invent an imaginary version of himself that encompasses what he believes to be macho culture. While playing with his friend Wilfredo, Yunior notes, “I called him Muhammad Ali and he called me Sinbad; these were our Northamerican names” (78). In Yunior’s idealized world, he chooses to escape his own identity and identify as Americans who embody not only the American dream, but also values of macho culture. While Sinbad- a rich and famous comedian- represents the prosperity, success, and wealth that Yunior imagines the United States brings, Muhammad Ali- a physically tough, champion boxer- represents the ideals of macho culture, and embodies the characteristics of physical strength and mental toughness that Yunior conjured up in his head as signifying a true man. Because he lacks a masculine, father figure of his own to look up to, Yunior creates an idealized version of himself in his head, allowing him to escape his harsh realties and cope with his lack of guidance and a role model.
While Ysrael’s face deformity forms an environment in which he lives a majority of his life in solitude and is forced to create an imaginary source of protection and masculinity, it also directs Ysrael towards a positive role model and successful future.

As Ysrael looses his true father as a masculine role model in his life due to his deformity, he also gains Padre Lou who positively shapes his character and future. Just as Riofrio argues in his article, Ysrael looks up to Lou in order to create his “own vision of masculinity based… on the island’s remaining men” (Riofrio, 26). Through Lou, Ysrael ultimately finds the self-assurance and positivity he needs in order to persevere, and is able to develop his sense of self based on his healthy male relationship with Lou instead of his father. Additionally, Ysrael’s fictional superhero persona serves as another catalyst that places him on the path towards a successful future. Utilizing his childish superpowers of FLIGHT, INVISIBILTY, and STRENGTH, Ysrael teaches himself how to perceiver and acquires life skills- such as gathering coins from the street so he can afford food- that allow him to fend for himself and survive on his own. His mastery of survival skills that he will need for the rest of his life is a direct result of the childish superhero persona he creates as a child, and points towards a future in which Ysrael will be able to successfully thrive on his

own.
In contrast, Yunior, lacking a catalyst that pushes him towards independence like Ysrael and his face deformity, profoundly struggles with finding his sense of self or a positive role model in his life.